Improved lock



UNTTE STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WALTER GORBETT AND VILLIAM BURNS, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURT.

IMPROVED LOCK.

Specification forming` part of Letters Patent No. 55,244, dated Juno 5, 1866.

To all 'whom it may concern.' y

Be it known that we, W'ALTER GORBETT and WILLIAM BURNS, of the city and county of St. Louis, and State otA Missouri, have invented anew and useful Im provement in Locks; and we hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings and to the letters of reference marked thereon. Figure l of the accompanying drawings is a sectional elevation of one of the improved locks. Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional elevation through the axis of the key. Fig. Sis an elevation of the bolt. Figs. 4, 5, 6, 7, S, and 9 are elevations ot' different tumblers that are or may be used in the construction ot this lock. This invention relates l First, to the construction and arrangement of the bridge, wards, guards, and key-hole bushes in suoli a manner as to render it dithcult or impossible to operate upon the tumblers with any burglarious instrumen t.

Secondly, to the improved construction of thc tumblers by notchingin an irregular manner the edges otl the slot in each of them through which the stud or post erected upon the bolt is made to pass. The said stud or post is also constructed in a peculiar' manner, by making each of its sides and its rear edge concave, thus forming an acute angle at each ot' its rear angles, which said acute angles will more readily enter the aforesaid notches in the tumblersthan would an obtuse ora right angle.

. This construction will render it extremely ditiicult for any burglarious instrument to raise the tumblers so as to allow the bolt to slide back, for the stud or post will be continually catching against some of the notches of the tumblers, and not until they are each and every one relieved can the bolt be withdrawn. The number of tumblers in a lock may be increased indenitely, and increased security afforded in the same ratio. The construction of the tumblers is also improved by two notches in their bottom edges, one ou each side ofthe key-bed, thus increasing the distance which any instrument would have to go to reach the tumblers to operate upon them burglariously.

Thirdly, this invention relates to the construction of the bolt with two notches in its bottom edge, so that if it should be thrown partly back by any instrument, so that the key cannot enter its propernotch to operate it, the key may be turned up against the second notch and the night-latches, will he employed on this lock, to l abrd increased security during the night time and Fifthly, the end of the key will be cut od' even with the end of the key-hole bushes, so as to prevent the possibility of taking hold ot' the key with nippers7 or outsiders 7 should the key be left in the lock.

To enable those skilled in the art to make and use our lock, we will proceed to describe its construction and operation.

A represents the ordinary shell or case oth the lock. This partis constructed in the ordi-- nary manner, and needs no further description.

B is a bridge which is constructed in the central portion ofthe lock, parallel with the two side plates of thelock and across that portion ol' it which is traversed by the key. lt is connected with the shell or case ofthe lock by meansv of two partition-walls, B', which are placed far enough from the center of the keyhole to pei'- mitthe key to be turned around between them. A ward, a, is placed within the circularopening for the key in the center ot' the bridge, as

shown clearly in Fig. l. This ward should extend from the vertical slot ot' the key-hole, as shown, below the axis of the key, up over the annular opening, and down on the other side ot' A, to a point nearly or quite opposite the place where it started, thus inclosing about seven-eighths, more or less, ofthe said annular opening within its circumscribed area. This lward is made justas wide as it can be and allow sufficient room between it and the side walls of the lock to afford the requisite strength to the key where it passes this point.

lThere are key-hole bushes a, of a shape simi lar to the ward a, and clearly shown in Figs. l and 2. These bushes are of the size necessary to fit the shank of the key used, and are fitted and fastened into the side plates of the case A, as clearly shown, their inner ends extending inside of and overlapping the outer edges ofthe ward a, so that it will be extremely difficult for any burglarious instrument put into the key-hole to pass up above the ward a, as the bushes a will convey such instrument so used inside of the outer edges of the ward a, which Vwill then aord a considerable resistance to the farther progress of the instrument. In case auy instrument should pass outside of the ward a, there are guards a2 attached to the bridge-walls B, which would stand ready to intercept the progress of the implement before it reached the tumblers of the lock, which are located immediately over the ward a.

The general form of the tumblers G is not materially different from that in common use,

but the details of their construction are such as to render it extremely difcult to move the bolt forward or backward without the use of a proper key. These tumblers may be made in many different forms in the same lock, some of which variations are shown iu Figs. 4, 5, 6, 7 8, and 9. In all of these, however, there are these general. features: There is a mortise, b, near one end, which is placed upon the post b when they are in place in the lock. There is also in the opposite end a slot, b2, whichis formed more or less irregularly. The post or stud b3, erected upon the bolt D, passes Aup through the slot b2 when the tumblers are in place in the lock.- The post b3 is formed with its sides and rear edge concave, so that its two rear corners will be acute angles. There is in the top of each of the tumhlers a spring, C', for the purpose of holding the tumblers down to their bearing on the post b3.

The improvements in the tumblers consist in notching` the edges of the slot b2 with the teeth c. These notches may be made at regular intervals; but we prefer to make them irregularly. Their office is to catch on the acute corners of the post or stud b3 in case they are thrown up by any burglarious instrument and the bolt partly thrown back. A further improvement consists `in cutting a notch, c', in the bottom edge of the tumbler, each side of the bearin g c2 for the key.

The bolt D has two notches, E and E', cut in its bottom edge. The notch E is the one which the key will habitually enter to move the bolt backward or forward. In case` however, the bolt should have been partly thrown back by any outside attempt to open it, the key F will be found to strike the bolts in the position of the dotted lines F', and will in that position be unable to move the bolt either way or to enter the notch E at all. To overcome this difficulty a second notch, E', is cut'in the bolt, farther back than E, andinto this notch the key may be turned and the bolt thrown forward to the position shown in Fig. 1, when the key can be turned back, and it Will then enter the notch E and work the lock as usual.

A stop or catch, G, worked by a knob on the outside of the lock (not shown) is fitted to entera notch, g, in the bolt. This catch G is similar to one used in night locks or latches, and may be used in connection with this lock for the same purpose.

The end of the key is cut off straight, even with the outside of the key-hole bush, so that no burglarious instrument can be fastened to it to open the lock should the key be inadvertently left in its place during the night-time or absence ofthe inmates.

It should have been mentioned that there is a ward, a0, fastened to the outer walls of the shell of the lockon either side, as shown in the drawings, and for the same purpose for which the ward a and key-hole bushes an are used.

Having described our invention, what we 5. The combination and arrangement of the various parts of this lock, viz., the bridge B,

' the wards a and a0 and key-hole bushes a', the

tumblers C, the post b3, and the stop or catch G.

WALTER CORBETT. WILLIAM BURNS.

Witnesses v M. RANDOLPH, A. WAGNER. 

